> ...conservatives tend to regard poverty as a self-inflicted state... Conservatives see poverty as being at least partly a social problem. They just don't see

> ...conservatives tend to regard poverty as a self-inflicted state... Conservatives see poverty as being at least partly a social problem. They just don't see bureaucratization as a healthy solution to the problem. It's common to refer to conservatives who have a more liberal view of poverty as "compassionate", but it's just a word, not a judgement. > It's common to refer to conservatives who have a more liberal view of poverty as "compassionate", but it's just a word, not a judgement. Let's flip this around and see how it sounds: "It's common to refer to liberals who have a more conservative view of poverty as 'intelligent liberals'". Point being, "compassionate conservative" comes across judgy, no matter how it was meant. George W. Bush coined that line during the 2000 presidential campaign and was criticized along these lines back then, too.